Queen of the Darkness

"forget" to put a Warlord Prince like Daemon Sadi on the list? Unless the omission had been deliberate. And if that were the case, who knew how many other lists had similar disparities, how many Terreilleans who had come to Kaeleer were now unaccounted for?
    And who knew what might happen to the evidence of those disparities if he told the wrong Council members about it?
    If he rode the White Wind, which would be the least demanding, he could still be at the Nharkhava border by dawn. Because one of his granddaughters lived there, Kalush, the Queen of Nharkhava, had granted him a special dispensation that allowed him to visit her Territory without having to go through the formalities every time. And if, once he reached the border landing web, he requested an escort to his granddaughter's house... The guards might think it an odd request, but they wouldn't refuse to assist an elderly man. After he had a little sleep, he would compose a letter to the High Lord, explaining about the disparities in the lists.
    Maybe it was only a clerical error. But if it was, in fact, the first glimpse of trouble, at least Saetan would have some warning—and would also know where to look for the source.
    Jorval looked at the sheet of paper lying under the table and the papers hastily stuffed back into the bulging file.
    So. The old fool had gotten curious. How unfortunate.
    Magstrom might have been a thorn in the Dark Council's side for a good many years now, but he'd had his uses— especially since he was the only Council member who could request an audience with the High Lord and actually be granted one.
    But it would seem that Magstrom's usefulness was coming to an end. And he wasn't about to forget that if it hadn't been for Magstrom's interference yesterday afternoon, the Dark Priestess would have had her Black-Jeweled weapon safely tucked away somewhere where he could be useful.
    He was tempted to send someone to take care of Magstrom that night, but the timing might lead certain people—like the High Lord—to look into the service fair a little too closely.
    He could wait. Magstrom couldn't have seen that much. And if anything was questioned, it was easy enough to dismiss a clerk or two for negligence and offer profuse apologies.
    But when the time did come
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    10 / Kaeleer
    Alexandra huddled in the chair in front of the blackwood desk.
    The High Lord requests your presence.
    Requests? Demands was more like it. But the study had been empty when that large, stone-faced butler had opened the door for her and, after fifteen minutes, she was still waiting. Not that she was in any hurry to face the High Lord again.
    She strengthened the warming spell she'd put on her shawl and then grimaced at the futility of seeking a little warmth in this place. It wasn't so much the place —which was actually quite beautiful if you could get past the oppressive, dark feel of it—it was the people who produced a bone-deep chill.
    She didn't think it was out of courtesy that she and her entourage had been given dinner in a small dining room located near the guest rooms. He wouldn't have cared that she was too physically and emotionally exhausted to cope with meeting whoever else lived there. He wouldn't have cared that she wouldn't have been able to choke down a mouthful of food if she had to sit at a table with Daemon Sadi.
    No, she and her people had dined alone because he hadn't wanted her presence at his table.
    And now, when she wanted to do nothing more than retire to her room and get whatever sleep she could after an exhausting day, he had requested her presence—and then didn't even have the courtesy to be there when she arrived.
    She should leave. She was a Queen, and the insult of keeping her waiting had gone on long enough. If the High Lord wanted to see her, let him come to her.
    As she stood up, the door opened and his dark psychic scent flooded the room. She sank back into the chair. It took all her self-control not to cower as he walked past her and settled into the chair behind the blackwood desk.
    "When a male asks to speak with a Queen, he doesn't keep her waiting," Alexandra said, trying to keep her voice from quivering.
    "And you, being such a stickler about courtesy, have never kept anyone waiting?" Saetan asked mildly after a long pause.
    The queer, burning glitter that filled his eyes scared her, but she sensed this was the only chance she would have. If she backed down now, he would never concede anything.
    She filled